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Happy Halloween!

Writer's picture: Lukas KendallLukas Kendall

I’m not a big holiday person, or even a big Halloween person. I don’t love the macabre or horror or enjoy being frightened, or frightening others.


But I do like trick or treating. And I don’t even love candy—I love the community aspect of going out and knocking on doors and meeting neighbors, and running into other families.


Above is a pic from Halloween 1979; I was five (I’m on the left) and my brother Tyler was three, in our wrinkly plastic Marvel costumes. We were just settled into the house in West Tisbury where I would spend most of my childhood, but it was too far out in the woods to trick or treat with neighbors.


So we’d drive to Vineyard Haven—where we had lived in two different rental houses from 1977–79—and walk the “old” neighborhood there, and I have the fondest memories of carrying our bags of candy and Unicef boxes: “Trick or treat for Unicef!” It was a real slice of Americana—white picket fences and brown oak leaves on the ground.


Now as an adult I’m able to have that experience again, walking with my wife and our twin girls (in third grade this year) a block over to a lovely street of friendly neighbors in our L.A. suburb. I dress up in the same Captain Kirk shirt I’ve had for some 20 years—I learned that Captain Kirk is a great Halloween costume because it’s super easy and doesn’t need makeup—and it’s really the most delightful time.


So that will be our evening, and I hope you have fun, too!


P.S. A funny story from the dinner table last night: There is a street in our area that’s infamously the BIG treat or treat block—people drive from all over and it’s supposed to be a zoo. I asked the kids if they wanted to check it out this year. One of them said, “I dunno, there might be cops there.” I was thinking, wow the kids are so grown up, talking in slang—so worldly and big!


A few minutes later: “Dada...what are cops?”

Have fun, everybody!

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John Walsh
John Walsh
Nov 01, 2022

That was a fun read. Reading about folks' memories of their youth and holidays is a lot of fun--see Truman Capote's writings about Christmas and "Dylan Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales." I have nothing in common with either writer, but they reveal so much of their true feelings that often doesn't come through in their more famous, darker/angrier writing.


As someone who loves the macabre and horror, I get why some don't. I personally can't stand knife kill flicks, and consider 'horror' and 'supernatural horror' distinct genres--I prefer the later.

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Sean Nethery
Sean Nethery
Oct 31, 2022

My wife and I had been together for 15 years when my daughter came along. One of my favorite set of memories is taking her out trick-or-treating and listening to spooky soundtracks on my earbuds while she was out with her friends. She's 24 now and lives a couple hours away, so I guess those days are over. Halloween's not quite the same. 😪

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Lukas Kendall
Lukas Kendall
Oct 31, 2022
Replying to

Awwww...thank you for sharing...yes happy memories.

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Pierre Magnan
Pierre Magnan
Oct 31, 2022

Nice, but do wear the appropriate toupee? ;)

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